The ramblings of a pilgrim through time, space, and life.

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My Blood Lineage

Walking and visiting with a professor today, she asked the name of my daughter. I indicated it was Aliza and she stated, “A good English name. You definitely look English, is it a family name?” We chatted a little longer before we separated, but it left me thinking, “Exactly what are my proportions of nationality?” Well, here they are. Even though I had always thought I was more German, I was wrong. I am more British.

Looking back 6 generations, I took each ancestor and assigned them 1/32 of my blood line (obviously). I then assigned them the nation to which their ancestors came from. Most of this generation were still in their native country so it was easy. My “US” line is only those designated that I do not definitively know which mother country they came from because they are so long in Virginia (at least to 1780). I debated about whether to lump the Saxon, Prussian, and Wuerttemberg lines because I am not lumping the Ireland, Wales, and English lines. I have provided a separate indication of my “German” and “British” lines.

3/16 – England – Sharp, Bailey, Stoker, Eames, Coley, Rogers

1/8 – Netherlands – Van Leeuwen, Weenig, Janzen, Van der Meij

1/8 – Saxony – Schneider, Andra, Knauke, Richter

1/8 – Wuerttemberg – Wanner, Schmid, Nuffer, Greiner

1/8 – US – Meredith, Shepherd, Graham and Miles lines

1/16 – Ireland – Donaldson, Todd

1/16 – Norway – Christiansen, Jorgensen

1/16 – Prussia – Jonas, Schumacher

1/16 – Sweden – Nelson (Nilsson), Benson (Bengtsson)

1/16 – Wales – Williams, Jordan

All together

5/16 – British

5/16 – German

I am willing to bet all 4 of my US lines were Wales and England. Therefore, 7/16 would be British. This is the largest percentage of them all, almost 50% of me is British! Maybe that is why I served a British mission (although none of my family came from within my mission).